“Today we have touched the martyrs.” – Pope Francis On Sunday, September 21, 2014, during his visit to Albania, Pope Francis met with priests, seminarians, religious men & women & lay leaders in Tirana Cathedral to celebrate Vespers. Upon hearing the very moving testimonies of a priest and sister who were imprisoned for many years under ...read more

Last Sunday was the Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Cross. For the last two Sundays on the S+L Blog, we’ve been looking at why we exalt the cross, an instrument of death. We saw that Jesus died to destroy death forever, so we don’t have to be under the power of death anymore. ...read more

Today is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Last week on the blog, we looked at why we honour the Cross: Because it reminds us that Jesus died to save us. And this is where I have a problem. Why do we need to be saved by Jesus’ death? I remember growing up learning ...read more

With the World Meeting of Families to take place in Philadelphia in September of 2015, it is possible the Holy Father may visit the US for this first time in his pontificate. To make matters easier, the people of Philadelphia extend an invitation to Pope Francis in hopes of confirming his presence in 2015. See ...read more

Sebastian Gomes, Salt + Light writer/producer/director of The Francis Effect, gives us a glimpse into filming the documentary: In the immediate aftermath of the whirlwind 2013 papal transition, everyone was comparing Pope Francis to Pope Benedict, pointing out the many differences and similarities between them. Naturally, nearly all of this commentary was coming from indirect sources, ...read more

“Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim…” That’s a song we all know, but what does it mean? Why do we lift high the Cross? This coming Sunday is the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, also called the Exaltation of the Cross. Did you know that we celebrate this feast? Have ...read more

So far we’ve looked at what the Scriptures and tradition tell us about the “prince of darkness”. But is this whole “devil” thing something of the past? I remember watching the film The Exorcist and thinking that the whole scenario didn’t seem real to me. I don’t think demons sit around behind a tree waiting ...read more

Below you will find the complete transcript of Pope Francis’ hour-long Press Conference with journalists aboard the return flight from Korea to Rome earlier today. This text is published here with the permission and encouragement of Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, Director of the Holy See Press Conference.  The text was meticulously prepared by senior Vatican ...read more

Address by His Eminence Cardinal Andrea Yeum Soo-jung Mass for Peace and Reconciliation Myeong-dong Cathedral in Seoul August 18, 2014 Holy Father, I wanted to thank you very much for visiting our country split in two, north and south and for praying for his peace by celebrating the Eucharist. Today is the last day of ...read more

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass For Peace And Reconciliation Seoul, Myeong-dong Cathedral 18 August 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters, As my stay in Korea draws to a close, I thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon this beloved country, and in a special way, upon the Church in Korea.  Among ...read more